Journeys to democracy

Pakistani women demand their rights. Photo: courtesy Nasir Mansoor, LPP

WOMEN’S DAY RALLY IN KARACHI: Thousands of working class women, many of them home based women workers, with red flags in their hands marched on roads of Karachi, chanting slogans against ‘mullahism’, religious extremism and for their democratic rights. The march started from Karachi Press Club and culminated at the Arts Council of Pakistan where a seminar was held in the open air theatre followed by songs, theatre and documentaries. They demanded: *End all discriminatory laws against women and minorities *End religious fundamentalism *Recognize home based women workers as workers in law, extend social security cover to them *Equal opportunity to women in all fields of life

Also see: Dedicated to Pyari Pakistanis: Happy Women’s Day, y’all! – a delightful sum up of the situation of Pakistani women, with statistics and action points, by blogger and cartoonist Mehreen Kasana. Check it out 🙂

Karachi rally speakers and demands:
Irfan Jabbar of Home Based Workers Federation sang a revolutionary song. The seminar was addressed by Mehnaz Rehman of Aurat Foundation, Zehra Akber Khan of Labour Education Foundation, well known writer Atiya Daud, Malika Khan, Farhat Perveen of NOW Community, Hamida Sikander of Women Development Organization and representatives of health workers. The speakers demanded
*To end all discriminatory laws against women and minorities
*To end religious fundamentalism
*Recognize home-based women workers as workers under the law, extend social security cover to them
*Give equal opportunity to women in all fields of life
*Government should accept health workers’ demands
– reported by Nasir Mansoor of the Labour Party Pakistan

Filed under: Gender | Tagged: cartoonist, Education, Gender, health, humour, justice, mehreen kasana, Pakistan, stereotype, Violence against women, women, women's day |